Another Now
by CheddarFetta
Summary: "What if there was another you, another me and another now? Could we ever be together?" . . . In a forbidden love story with twisted family ties, new feelings, and the question of loyalties, will they ever get their happy ending? Romeo/Sasha
1. Famous Last Words

**A/N - I really should update Far From Perfection (along with all of my other stories, but I've been wanting to write a Romeo/Sasha (Rasha) fanfiction for a while now and recently, a plot and storyline all started to form itself in my head and I couldn't resist it. **

**Anyway, this is only the beginning and is set around April/May when Indi's was with Logan, Romeo was in no-mans land and not yet with Ruby and Xavier's broken up with Sasha. Also, with regards to Romeo & Indi splitting, Indi's leading her family to believe that she wasn't in the wrong and letting Romeo take the blame, rather than them knowing that she cheated on Romeo first. **

**Enjoy! x**

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**C****hapter One:**

Romeo Smith was moping in the diner, slouched in his seat and ploughing his straw through his icy pineapple juice that he wasn't drinking.

The girl beside him had noticed that he was especially quiet today, even despite taking his recently subdued persona into account because of what he was currently going through. However, the bubbly Ruby Buckton continued talking, enough to cover them both, while Romeo fought the feeling of being overwhelmed by his friend, telling himself that she was only trying to help him.

"So, if you and me leave at let's say, 5-ish in the morning, then we should make it to the beach by 7 which will leave us with plenty of time to get there as well as set ourselves up!"

The two had been discussing their plans and schedules with regards to the next few surfing competitions that were to be held further up the coast over the following weeks.

"Yup" was Romeo's only response which mildly frustrated his current companion, who had just spent the last five minutes babbling on, only to receive an answer which was barely eligible.

Ruby took a deep breath, standing up from the seat she was currently seated at to go up to the counter and order something else just to settle her annoyance. "You know, there were questions involved in my spiel too... Questions that I would've appreciated an answer to!"

"Sorry..." Romeo said in response politely, all be it half-heartedly as Ruby walked off, leaving Romeo to continue stirring his drink but in peace and quiet.

A familiar voice caught his attention from outside the Surf Club, metres away from the inside window that he was sitting by, close to the open door. Looking up in time, he witnessed Sasha Bezmel, his former sister-in-law as well as her best friend Lottie Ryan walk inside.

"Sasha!" he exclaimed, the most enthusiastically that he had all day.

Sasha looked over to the older guy, muttering something to Lottie before the two walked over to his table, Sasha appearing to be especially defensive and on guard. "What do you want, Romeo?"

"How's Indi?" he asked with an evidently genuine interest.

"Fine" the sixteen year old replied simply, not feeling the need to elaborate on her answer.

Romeo noticed her shortness with him. "And the rest of your family? Your dad? Dex? You?"

"We're all fine! Now can I go? Lottie and I's lunch plans didn't exactly include a game of '20 Questions'!"

"I'm sorry, but you have no idea how good it is to see you. I miss you guys. Like I said, I'm sorry."

Sasha's grip in her crossed arms tightened as she took a step closer to Romeo. "And so you should be! Anyway, do you remember who my sister is? I'm on Indi's side in your marriage breakdown... And I'm sure that even just talking to you is breaking like, 6, Sisterly Code of Conduct rules."

"Yeah I know... Sorry Sash" he said, apologizing with a sigh. "I shouldn't have put you in this position. I know that your loyalty is with her."

"Damn right it is. Blood is _always_ thicker than water" Sasha quipped firmly, before walking back over to Lottie and leaving Romeo who returned to his own depressive daze.

The brunette walked back over to her genius best friend, letting out an exasperated sigh as she did so.

"Ah, let me guess? Romeo was seeking refuge from a familiar face? It's not uncommon from people who are going through a divorce. Studies show that they turn to relatives, even sometimes certain places or smells too to feel sensations of comfort, especially ones that reminds them of their separated mate. I personally believe that it borders on becoming Freudian."

Sasha nodded, realizing her nerdy friend's point made sense, also noticing that it only applied to the former couple to a certain extent. "What about Indi then? It's not like she's trying to make contact with Mink or his mum or anything for comfort."

"True, but she's with Logan, right? The psychology behind her is that she would be experiencing an 'out with the old, in with the new' outlook on life while Romeo's been left behind... Hence, she's dedicating her feelings and senses to the new, 'exciting' relationship with him."

Looking back over to him and feeling a bit guilty as she saw how depressed he looked, Sasha sighed. "Well what's the psychology behind making things un-awkward between us again so that I can still talk to him? I feel bad for him. He looks really down in the dumps, which is _so_ not Romeo... What theories or genius hypothesis's have you got to cure that?"

After considering the question momentarily as the two friend's walked over to the gelato bar, Lottie finally informed Sasha of her thinking. "Hmm, Confucius says that he could do with a friend... Or a hobby of some sort... Well, either that or a puppy. I'm thinking poodle, maybe?"

"You've got some brilliant idea's there, but he's _really_ allergic to dogs. All of us were rummaging through the shed one day and came across an old kennel which was left by someone who used to own the farm and obviously still had bits of hair in it... After that, he had red, blotchy eyes and looked like he was crying for the rest of the night!" Sasha laughed; only remembering the memory after Lottie had her reminded her of it.

"Wow, you know him well, but hair isn't the cause of allergies, Sasha... Saliva, urine and dead skin cells are instead. I will forgive you though, because it's a common mistake and belief that is misled in society."

Sasha nodded solemnly. "Alright then... Thank you for your forgiveness. I will now be taking notes during our next Bio lesson!"

"Ha! You so will not!" Lottie replied as the two laughed, both knowing that Lottie really _did_ know Sasha way too well.

#

After their gelatos and gossiping (with-hints-of-Lottie-knowledge) conversations were finished, Sasha walked Lottie home to the Caravan Park before making her way back to the farm by herself.

Catching a huge whiff of cinnamon and nuts being cooked, Sasha could automatically make one conclusion as she walked in the door of her family's house... That Indi was home.

"Cooking are we?" Sasha said, stating the obvious as she walked into the kitchen and over to her sister, dipping her pointer-finger into one of Indi's concoctive cooking bowls and moving it to her mouth for a taste. "Me likes."

"Good. I'm making afternoon tea for when Logan comes over. How was Lottie?"

"Will there be enough left for your sister who you love so much? Lottie was good... But I did have a brief conversation with someone else whose name starts with R and has 5 letters in it... Don't shoot me. He started it."

Indi looked at her sister, nodding slowly in acknowledgment, before looking away. "No, it's okay... You're allowed to talk to him. Just because we're not together anymore, doesn't mean that you or any of the others have to shut him out of your lives completely. We can be mature about this. How was he anyway?"

"Not too good. He was very quiet and you could tell that he was feeling really down."

Although Indi felt guilty about how Romeo's been affected by their breakup and her infidelity, she had to stop herself from thinking about it too much. She was with Logan now and that was the start of her fresh life – her dream life with the lifestyle that Romeo could never give her.

"Okay..."

"Yeah. He totally still wants you though...He asked me how you were going and stuff!" Sasha said excitedly, preferring her sister's ex-husband over her current boyfriend who despite being charming, Sasha personally got the feeling that he was smarmy at the same time.

As she continued with her food preparation, Indi spoke convincingly with a careless shrug. "Well that's not going to happen. I'm with Logan now. He can move on with his life and be with whoever he pleases for all that I care!"

Those were Indigo Walker's famous last words...

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**So what do you all think? I'm pretty excited about this one, because I think the idea of Romeo and Sasha being a couple would be a fantastic storyline and they are very well suited to each other and there'd be lots of good and bad fireworks! **

**I personally hate writing from third person like in this chapter so I'll definitely going back to selected POV's very soon! I just felt like I had to make the first chapter unbiased and from a mutual stand-point rather than tainted by either Romeo or Sasha's moods and opinions!**

**A bit of unrequited love and difficult family ties never killed anyone!**

**Anyway, want me to continue? Easy solved then... Review! **


	2. Bad To Worse

**Soooo, I know I SHOULD be updating or at least working on my H2o F.F.P. fic, but hey, we can't control our desires! Had a bit of free time this morning so seized the moment and got this baby typed up! **

**This one's sort of a re-write of the episode where Romeo came to get his keys while Indi and Logan were at the house, leading to much hurtful flaunting. Enjoy! **

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**Chapter Two – Bad To Worse:**

_Romeo's POV_

After I'd been out to the Surf Club that day, I'd experienced the continual feeling of lows for the following few days and had just wanted nothing more than to stay home at the Caravan Park. This was unusual for me considering I'd usually be feeling claustrophobic from the thought alone of being cooped up and stuck inside the one place for several days, but right now it was almost like a comfort to me.

However, Roo had been at me over the last few days to find where my spare keys for the Blaxland were and after no success with finding it after rummaging through my one bag of personal belongings, I concluded that it had to be still at the Farm, along with some of my other things I hadn't bothered taking when I'd moved out.

I'd been trying to avoid it and avoid them for the last few weeks, but I knew that I couldn't hide away forever... And my forever ended today.

The entire drive to the Walker's farm, I had to psych myself up and warn myself of the very real possibility that Indi's new boyfriend, Logan could be there... The man she had given up our marriage for. Even though I'd met him once or twice before Indi's infidelity, when they were just 'friends', I didn't know what I would do or how I would react if I were to come face-to-face with the guy again. Would I just ignore him, giving him the silent treatment or become aggressive and throw a punch or two, I don't know, but what I _did_ know was that I wasn't ready to find out.

After parking the car in its spot that I usually would on the dirt driveway, I took a minute before I felt ready to get out of the car and face the other side of the door.

I had to wait about another 30 seconds before I got a response or answer from the occupants in the house which felt strange... I wasn't used to standing there and waiting awkwardly, scanning the door and surrounding area to pass time. I hadn't had to do that here for a whole year since we'd been married and moved back here after Indi and I had moved out of the joint we shared with the Braxton's. It wasn't like I didn't have my key, that was one key that I _did_ know the whereabouts of at the moment, but I didn't feel comfortable using it now that we were separated.

"Romeo, hi" was the response I got when the door was finally opened. "Lose your key again, did you?"

I shook my head at Sasha vaguely. "No... Still got it, but I just thought I should knock."

"Don't worry about that! It's only me home right now, besides I don't think any of us would mind if you still let yourself in" she smiled, giving off the vibe that she was acting a lot warmer towards me than what she had the other day.

I scoffed, shooting her a look to question her seriousness. "Umm, I think that Indi and Logan might mind."

"Ha! Yeah right. Those two are on a different universe right now... I don't think they would even notice you were here!" Sasha said to me with a laugh, which was probably intended to make me feel better and reassure me, but in fact made it worse.

Here I was in a world of self-pity and angst, while my ex-wife sounded like she'd completely forgotten about my existence. It hurt to say the least. All the sacrifices that we had both made for each other, all of the hardships and all of the trials that we'd been through; just everything, good and bad, in our relationship and our marriage had been smashed, shattered, completely destroyed and thrown away. I just knew that Indi's actions and her lack of care completely emancipated me from her. There was nothing left... And I didn't know if I was more hurt or angry than anything. Shouldn't I be feeling liberated and rejuvenated? It was my chance for a fresh start, wasn't it?

"Well that's good for Indi, I guess" I muttered which marked my attempt at a reply.

She looked at me, appearing to examine me closer and more seriously than usual. "I'm sorry Romeo. I wasn't really thinking when I said that... That's probably the last thing you want to hear right now."

"Yeah, well pretty close to. I think of a few worse things, but that's definitely up there."

"I _am_ sorry, Romeo, but what did you expect? To have your cake and eat it too?!"

I looked up at her with an expression of confusion and agitation. I didn't understand what she meant by her last comment. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well come on, if you can cheat with Ruby, then I think that she's allowed to move on with Logan!"

"What do you mean, Sasha? It was just a kiss – which I not to mention, felt terrible about afterwards. It was Indi who went the whole hog."

She squinted at me, almost making it appear as though she had X-Ray vision and was attempting to see straight through me and through to the truth. "That's not what Indi said... She said you admitted to her that you and Ruby started cheating first, while you were at a surfing comp."

"What the hell?!" I yelled as I started to pace the balcony, before clarifying the lie with Sasha. "So Indi's told you that _I_ cheated on _her_ with Ruby and _then_ she and Logan got together _after_ that?!"

Sasha nodded, quietly replying with a simple "Yes".

But no, just in case that lie wasn't enough to push me to the edge on top of everything else that I was dealing with, things jumped from bad to worse.

_Sasha's POV _

Hearing a car pull up, Romeo was distracted from his angry pacing and yelling as we both turned around to see who it was arriving.

Logan and Indi.

I looked at Indi first and instantly read the expression on her face, which silently yelled that she wished she was anywhere but here at this present moment. Then I looked to Logan as he parked and got out the car, his lips pursed, appearing as if he had to force the smirk or smile on his lips from surfacing fully on his mouth. Finally, I looked over to Romeo who looked like he had been hit by a semitrailer.

Indi got out of the car also and sheepishly began to walk up the stairs to the balcony where Romeo and I were standing, before Logan caught up and wrapped his arm around her back so they walked up together, with his smirk increasing.

"Where the hell do you get off for stealing my wife, hey?" Romeo asked in a tone that was nearing a yell, pointing his fingers madly at Logan before turning to Indi. "And you... I accept that you made your choice and that you decided to choose him, but I can't even believe the nerve that you have to frame me as the bad guy... That I cheated first!"

"I'm really sorry Romeo-" Indi said as she started her apology before Romeo cut her off putting his hand up in the air. "Save it. I don't care. I don't give a damn about you or your petty excuses to try and make yourself feel better."

As he stormed off back to his car, I looked over to Indi who had her head down shamefully, looking at the ground. "Why did you lie about it?"

"Because I didn't like the truth Sasha... I'm happy I'm with Logan now, but it was easier to make him sound bad for you guys to understand why I moved on, instead of telling you the whole truth. It was wrong... I'm sorry."

I understood what she meant and where she was coming from, but at the same time, I felt terrible for Romeo. He was going through the exact same thing that she was, but he didn't have the support of family like how me and the others were supporting Indi and she had Logan as well. The poor guy had pretty much lost it all and she was making things even worse for him…

Indi and Logan walked inside while I stayed outside for a few minutes, thinking things through before realizing that I hadn't seen or heard Romeo drive off yet, and it was that realization that led to me automatically walking off to find Romeo… It didn't take long for me to find him, no longer than it did to scout out the first possibility of his location.

He was sitting alone in his car, hands gripped on the steering wheel tightly and looking with focus ahead of him, as you would expect if he were driving. But he wasn't. The car was completely stationary, not even turned on and his focus was only a shocked daze.

I knocked on the glass window of the passenger's seat door as he returned to focus on the real world, just looking at me briefly before looking away again. I opened the door, inviting myself into the car without permission, but knowing that I could be kicked out within a few seconds.

I sat there, silently, in a way waiting for him to speak and waiting for him to tell me to leave, either nicely or rudely, expecting that he wanted to be left alone, but I kept waiting as neither of us spoke. Even when I realized that his silence was acting as permission for me to stay put, I didn't know what _to_ say to him. I doubted that he would open up and confess how he was feeling or what he was thinking and I didn't really want to dwell on the messed up situation, but I couldn't really just move on and talk about something completely different, and in a way hide the reality, so I stayed silent.

"You don't have to be here Sasha. I don't need you, or anybody for that matter" Romeo said speaking eventually and softly, his voice a painful whisper.

I looked over to him, breaking the barrier of space and contact to touch his shoulder as comfort. "Everybody needs someone. Trust me, I know. After mum, after Stu, I tried pushing everyone away… It doesn't work."

"Well you tell me, Sasha, what other options have I got? Grow myself a friend?! Clone Indi?! I put _everything_ into my marriage and now that's completely gone and I've got nothing and no-one."

"Of course I'm not a replacement for Indi or your what you've lost or anything, but I can at least be your friend."

Romeo looked up at me, his blue orbs conveying all the pain that he was feeling within. "I never said that I wanted another Indi, but thank you. You don't have to be so nice to me, so I appreciate that."

"My pleasure, I want to. Yes, I'm on Indi's side in everything, but I do think that was totally wrong what Indi did to you and how she lied about cheating first. You didn't deserve that and I don't agree with what she did."

He nodded at me solemnly and I could even sense that he was struggling just to hear of all the pain that he was feeling.

"Thanks… I think" he replied painfully.

"Romeo?" I asked softly, getting a nod and a look in my direction as a response. "Things will get better. Trust me."

I got another small nod in acknowledgement as I started to shift in my seat in preparation to get out of the car.

"I should go, but if you want to talk or anything, call me… Dr Sasha Bezmel! But seriously, remember there's people here for you."

As I exited the car, I got the closest facial expression to a smile from Romeo that I had since he had arrived here. It made me feel oddly good. Satisfied. At peace, perhaps? I'm not entirely sure, but all I knew is that I liked it.

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**Another shorter chapter, I think I'm still getting into the swing of this story for the time being! Reviews would be lovely, as per usual, and would undoubtedly help! **

**Have a good one! **


	3. Just What I Needed

**Chapter Three: Just What I Needed**

_Sasha's POV_

"Sasha! Sash!" I heard being shouted from a voice that was coming closer and closer behind me. I turned around to see my best friend pacing towards me quickly.

"Lottie, hi! You're alive!"

My friend laughed, catching her breath before she spoke again. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was going to touch bases with you yesterday but I was out of credit all weekend."

"It's fine! That's what schools for – being forced to spend 7 hours with each other" I laughed, brushing it off. "Besides, I don't think I could've left the farm yesterday. World War III erupted throughout the day."

She frowned at me with an expression of concern. "Why? What happened? Did you have a fight with one of the others?"

"There must've been a blue moon recently because for once in my life, I was actually playing the peacemaker! Romeo came over to get something while the happy couple was there... I think you can fill in the blanks."

"Ugh, I hate divorce..." Lottie sighed sadly and I'm certain that her train of thought had since reverted back to the reminder of what her parent's had gone through a few years back. I didn't want her mellowing on it, so I decided to direct the conversation somewhat back to me to distract her from the thoughts which I knew from experience would get her down for a while if she didn't move on.

"It's such a tragedy. I feel so terrible for Romeo... He's ended up with nothing out of all of this whole separation hoo-ha."

Lottie nodded sombrely from next to me. "Yeah, a little bit like my dad... What's with the guys always losing out?"

"Yeah, I know. It really isn't very fair. Sure, it might play to you and I's advantage when we go through breakups, something I'm not complaining about, but from our perspective it's not fair" I reasoned to my best friend, before biting the bullet and deciding to mention a point that had been weighing on my mind since my sister's ex-husband had left the house yesterday. "I just really wish that there was more that I could do to help him out."

She nodded in response, re-adjusting her school books as we walked to the classroom. "I know. He's been really depressed around the house. It's hard not to notice that."

"Poor guy..." I muttered once again. The difference between Romeo and Indi post-breakup was astonishing. It's been like her world has orbited around Logan since Romeo left, while Romeo was having difficulty picking up the pieces of his life again, I pondered as we walked into the classroom for an English lesson together...

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_Romeo's POV_

Today hadn't been the best day for me. I was still reeling from the hurt of seeing the happy couple together. I'd stayed in bed late, only getting up for a surf at lunch time. That's where I had been for the last few hours until now as I walked up the beach to the grass by the surf club, where I crossed paths with Sasha. I saw her first, giving her an awkward wave from several metres away, really not being in the mood to start conversations unnecessarily with people today.

She smiled at my gesture before she fastened her speed, walking over to me. "Hey. Where you headed?"

"Home."

Her face lit up and she nudged me with her elbow. "Fantastic! I'll keep you company then. I've got a hair appointment with Marilyn this afternoon."

Sasha's energy and enthusiasm forced me to return the smile, in a way making me feel like I would be letting her down, or something stupid like that if I didn't.

"So how's your day been?" she asked conversationally after a silence was in the early stages of forming, with the possibility of additionally turning awkward.

I shrugged, trying my best to put a brave face on. "Yeah, it's alright I guess. Haven't really done much, but the waves were pretty good."

"Good..." she said with a smile in my direction as she replied, with neither of us knowing what to say or do next, so we both looked ahead at the path to the Caravan Park.

"I'm sorry that I caused such a scene at the house yesterday too. I've been having a bit of trouble with my emotions and all that since I moved out so I was already feeling uncomfortable having to go back there, knowing that things had changed. So then when the happy couple turned up... I, I just lost it, you know?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasha nod from next to me. "It's all good. I think Indi was really embarrassed too anyway. It wasn't right of Logan to be like that. Mind you, in all honesty, I personally don't like Logan very much anyway..."

"You and me both, Sash" I said as I let out my angry feelings of the guy who had stolen my wife from me in a laugh. "You and me both..."

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_Sasha's POV_

Marilyn was halfway through cutting my hair, when Romeo came downstairs, since he had fled to his room a few minutes after we had arrived at the Caravan Park House. My hair appointment was going to be a short one today since I was only getting a trim, no colour or anything, considering that cutting was one of the only things which I couldn't do to my own hair.

I watched Romeo as he took a bottle of beer out of the fridge from my seat at the dining table where Marilyn was hovering above me mid-conversation, equally focused on talking to me as she was about doing my hair.

"You should go for a Mohawk, Sash" the male voice said interrupting as he walked over to the lounge, laying with his feet kicked off the edge, the rest of his body facing us.

I smirked, forcing myself to stifle a laugh from his edgy suggestion. "Sure, why not? Consider it a deal if you shave your hair off..."

"Nah" he laughed, resting his arms behind his head. "My head would get too cold in the surf during winter if I was a baldy!"

"Okay then... How about dying it black – like Dex's!" I suggested, knowing full well how horrendous the darker colour would look on the naturally sun-bleached blonde surfer's head. "It would bring out your eyes."

He shot me a suspicious look from across the room. "Yeah, yeah... I'll do black if you do like a bright highlighter-yellow blonde. Deal?"

"Do you have any idea how LONG that would take me to bleach it?! Grey hairs will be shooting through before it got down to that colour!"

Romeo laughed, covering his mouth to protect the mouthful of beer which he had just taken a skull of before I spoke.

"Ouch that hurt" he grumbled, after his mouth was clear and the mouthful was swallowed.

"Toughen up, princess" I shrugged, jolting my hair slightly too much, too fast after momentarily forgetting the fact that my hair was being attended to with scissors at the same time.

Marilyn let out a yelp of annoyance, a rare sound from the chirpy woman whose 'annoyed' even still barely counted compared to that of a non-Marilyn human being. "Romeo Smith! Stop talking to Sasha! I'm cutting her hair and you're making her move far too much! You don't want her to end up with uneven hair blamed on you, do you?"

"Sorry, but I'm not a puppeteer... I'm not making her move" Romeo said sarcastically speaking back which was unusual for him before quietening down and closing his eyes as he took random mouthfuls every now and then.

This allowed Marilyn to keep talking to me instead, not allowing silence long enough for either of Romeo or I to speak again as she finished cutting and trimming at the speed she was speaking until she took a step backwards from behind me, announcing with a proud smile: "Ohhh Sash! You're all done!"

Getting out of my seat and taking my purse out of my schoolbag that was on the seat next to me, I pulled a red twenty dollar note out that I had prepared in advance, handing it to her. "Thanks Marilyn."

"Oh Sash, anytime! It's my pleasure!" she beamed as I grabbed the rest of my school bag, throwing it on my back, giving my older friend a hug goodbye and throwing a wave over to the lounge in Romeo's direction. "Have a good afternoon guy's. See you around!"

I started walking out the door before hearing the unmistakable sound of thongs clapping along the floorboards of the Summer Bay Caravan Park House as Romeo quickly put his beer on the table and rushed out the door behind me.

"Sash. Are you catching the bus or is one of the other's taking you home?"

"Brian's-bumpy-bus ride tonight, I'm afraid..." I replied as he caught up and walked alongside of me, laughing at our affectionate name that my brother, sister, Romeo and I had made up for the bus.

"I'll walk you to the bus stop... As a thank you for keeping me company earlier. I think I needed your company then."

I laughed at him, but accepted his offer that made the slightly boring walk more enjoyable. "It was no problem – we were going to the same place, Romeo!"

"Oh that's right..." he said looking over to me with a smile before looking ahead and continuing the walk in silence for the time-being.

_Romeo's POV_

After a few minutes as we neared the destination, I finally mustered up the courage to ask a question which I had wanted to know, but by the same token didn't. I'd been curious since yesterday but hadn't been bold enough to ask earlier today and I figured that asking Sasha would make finding out the answer the least awkward means of doing so.

"Sash?" I said, getting her attention as she swung her head to look at me. "Tell me truthfully, don't sweeten it for my sake or anything, but do you think that Indi is happy?"

The painful cringe that she displayed answered my question clearly enough for me as I gave her a small nod in understanding, before she even had the chance to reply. "I know that you're not going to want to hear me say this, so I apologize, but I really do believe that she is happy."

"Thanks for being honest with me. Knowing that Indi is happy does still mean a lot to me, even if it's not with me" I said honestly, exhaling a little too deeply at the end of my sentence turning it into a bit of a sigh instead.

We reached the bus stop pole and our walking speed which had been diminishing, came to a halt. She put a hand on the top of my arm and rubbed it reassuringly briefly. "Listen, there's someone out there for you too Romeo. You're a good guy – the female population is not just going to let you slide by!" I laughed at her joke, which was something that I appreciated. The light-hearted joking from Sasha today had helped push me out of the self-pitying frame of mind that I had been in earlier.

"You'll find someone else. I know it Romeo."

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**Thank you very much to the reviewers of the last chapter. I'm surprised that I'm getting any at all! With Charlie/Brax or Charlie/Joey outweighing the majority of H&A FanFiction on here, it's great to know that I'm not the only Rasha fan.**

**Oh Brookey, don't be insulted but you were my inspiration for the highlighter-blonde line... I love your hair! (Hey, remember in year 8 when everyone was CONVINCED you would bleach your hair?!) **

**I apologize if this story is going a little bit slowly, but considering that it's SUCH an AU pairing, it does take a little bit to develop a romantic connection and pinpoint that.**

**Next chapter, in typical Sasha fashion, Sasha starts taking a romantic interest in an oblivious Romeo before forbidding her feelings after confiding in Lottie.**


	4. Looking Like That!

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since I've updated this one because I've been busy with my main H2o Fic. All of a sudden, I've felt really inspired for this story and although this chapter is reasonably short, I've already started the next chapter which will be much longer.**

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**Chapter Four: Looking Like That!**

Sasha's POV

Six hundred million, billion, trillion gazillion, squillion litres of water and infinite times that of sand granules, regardless of the fact that you always ended up taking a kilogram of it home with you in goodness knows how many places.

I did not see the appeal in the beach.

Sure, it was fantastic for an odd happy snap or postcard, but seriously I do not see the appeal in it that it had for people like my sister, Indi. Currently, April to was floundering around out in the ocean and I was supposed to be waiting for her and Dex, who was up at Angelo's getting pizzas for lunch.

Rather than having to wait on the beach for April, I would have opted for following along with and keeping Dex company... if we hadn't fought the entire way into the Bay today. He was one of the people I least wanted to see at the present moment.

My mental contemplation's that I kept to myself on the busy beach (maybe it is true that the beach is good for sorting your head out!) were interrupted when I felt a tap from behind, on my shoulder.

Turning around to see who it is, as is your reflex when someone does that to you, I was expecting it to be Dex, maybe Lottie, but what I was not anticipating was turning around to see a face-full of Romeo's abs and noticeably luscious six-pack. It wasn't like he was parading his benchmark body or was doing anything that he hadn't done before; he was only trying to catch my attention. I blamed the level of the sand; the fact that he was crouching behind me as I sat on the lower level sand in front... Not that I was complaining about the eye-full.

As I momentarily took in the view that was forced in front of me, I was thankful that Romeo was the first to speak and throw me out of my guilty fantasy.

"Hey Sash. What are you doing on the _beach_? Have you been kidnapped against your will?!" he witted with a smile that was full of the cheek of his comment. At least he was smiling again.

I fought off his comment with a pout as I regained my composure from the surprise of him startling me from behind, before my even more surprising acknowledgement of his body that I had been somewhat oblivious to for over the last year. Finally, I was able to make a retort response back to him that I deemed as covering my embarrassment over.

"Ha, ha, very funny Romeo. You should look into the comedy industry."

"I know. We all have our secret talents…"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Modest, Smith."

"Nothing but it" he smiled. "So what are you doing down here, Sash? Wait Indi isn't-"

The calm demeanour of the surfer faded away within the blink of an eye as he quickly scanned the beach, tossing his head back and forth, trying to spot the blond that I believe it was safe to assume he was trying to avoid.

"Settle down, she's not here. I'm just waiting for April who's having a swim" I said, before noting that my initial reassurance had not caused a significant deal of ease as he kept looking over the beach. "She's at Uni."

"Okay… Sorry, I don't think I'm really ready to see her again just yet. I think I'm just starting to get on top of everything, but I'm not _that_ over it."

"Understandable…"

"Sorry, she's your sister. Should I even be telling you stuff like that?"

I shrugged. "Probably not, in most cases, but I don't exactly agree with the way that Indi went about things. Besides, we're still friends aren't we?" I smiled as I elbowed him in his side. His bare side. It was an action that I previously would never have thought twice about before but given the _unusual_ circumstances of today, I quickly retracted my arm from his stomach that I was giving too much thought to all of a sudden.

"Of course we're friends, Sash. I can't exactly be fussy about them right now, can I?"

I shot Romeo a small, fleeting smile that felt awkward from my end, but I was hoping didn't translate that way when the expression met my face. "Yeah, something like that. Um, anyway, sorry but I just remembered that I was going to go meet Lottie right now. Sorry."

I already started walking away quickly, trying to get away from him, along with the thoughts that were flooding me to the point that I was freaking out about the never-before-considered content of them regarding Romeo.

"Do you want company?" he offered, starting to follow closer behind me and catch up. "I can walk you up to the Caravan Park if you want."

"No. You were going for a surf or a swim, remember? I'll be fine. Bye" I announced quickly, not looking back once more, despite the temptation to, as I walked faster than normal through Summer Bay to the residence of my best friend.

* * *

Nearly bashing down the door frame of the screen door that opened into the main house and reception of the Summer Bay Caravan Park, the door was answered promptly by Roo Stewart.

"Oh Sash, hi! Thought it was another grumpy customer!" she greeted pleasantly, something that I overlooked rudely as she opened the door for me, allowing me to see Lottie at the kitchen table who writing away furiously.

"Lottie. Thanks Roo. Bye" I babbled in one short string of words that I threw together as I walked straight in and pulled the hand of Lottie with me upstairs in one fluent motion. My poor friend didn't know what hit her.

Once in the concealed privacy of Lottie's room that I ensured had a closed shut door. I prepared to blurt out the unexpected horror story and development of the day.

"Help me. I think I like him, Lottie" I yelped as Lottie's face lit up in interest.

"Ooh! Hold on, _him_? I thought you said that you and Casey were just friends..."

I nodded my head furiously as I sat in the corner of the room, burrowing my head in my hands as I tried to erase my thoughts and feelings. "Not Casey. We _are_ just friends."

Looking up, I witnessed Lottie's face change from excitement to bewilderment. "Wait, if it's not Casey, who is it then? Who does that leave?" she questioned as she listed Summer Bay residing males using her fingers as a counter. "Um? Kyle? Spencer? Heath? Oh, don't tell me it's Jett..."

"Romeo": was the one word that I whispered under my breathe with the nervousness of saying the name aloud, let alone the fear that anyone else would hear it.

"Whoa, Sash. That's a bit scandalous! And just when I thought my day was getting boring... I knew there was a reason that we're friends!" she babbled brightly, her shock only lasting momentarily as she elaborated on my revelation.

"That's not helping me..." I warned as I took a few steps away from the wall and sat down on Lottie's neat-and-tidy-made-up bed, sitting upright, crossing my legs, and mirroring Lottie who was on the other side of her double sized bed. "What do I do?" I croaked, really needing my best friend's help and advice.

I could tell that Lottie was normalizing as she took a deep breath and lent her elbows on the mattress, looking over to me. "Well did he do _something_ to make you feel like that?"

"No. Romeo did nothing but give me an accidental ogle of his abs that I couldn't stop staring at. Even though I've seen them countless times before!"

"Should've taken a picture, it would last longer... But no, I mean did he do anything to reciprocate the feelings? Like do you think he likes you too?" she joked initially, before her questions became more serious, saving herself from receiving an annoyed yell from me.

"No! Of course not! Why would he?! I'm his _wife's_ little _sister_!" I screeched way too loudly, getting caught up in my horror, before I realized how loud I had yelled it. "Oh goodness... This is an unrequited _and_ forbidden love all-in-one! I'm a total monster!"

Lottie moved over slightly more to my side as she patted my shoulder. "Oh Sash, you're not a monster! Passing thoughts can be completely harmless..."

"True. It's not like anything would happen between Romeo and I, anyway" I smiled, feeling the most confident that I had all day...

Nothing would ever happen between us. It was as simple as that. All it was was one stupid thought that I had from an awkward position. He was my brother-in-law, ex-brother-in-law, even, if he and Indi couldn't work things out. I was the girl that he thought of as the little sister that he had never had. There was never going to be a romantic _us_. I wouldn't let there be, simple as that.

From that moment, I was determined to completely forget about my attraction and forbid myself, even just my mind, from going there.

If only I had of realized right then that it was _not_ as easy as that...

* * *

**So the attraction has started for Sasha! Being a little bit naive and typically Romeo-like, it's going to take a bit more for him to notice Sasha romantically like that. The question is, HOW long will it take for that to happen?! Not to mention if anything will happen! **

**Next chapter - Being delivered with bad news, Romeo's life takes a turn for the worst, beginning to lead him on a downward spiral. Three guesses who's going to be there to support and comfort him?**

**Don't forget to review!**


	5. Through The Rabbit Hole

**Chapter Five: Through The Rabbit Hole**

_Romeo's POV_

I had just bit into the salad sandwich that I had spent the last five minutes slaving over in the communal kitchen of the Caravan Park House when there was a knock on the door.

I was the only one downstairs at the present time. Alf was out fishing, Harvey and Roo were having lunch together, Marilyn was upstairs preparing for a client and Lottie was up in her room doing homework.

"I've got it" I yelled out to the girl's with a mouthful of food so that they wouldn't have to come rushing downstairs as we were accustomed to, knowing that it could be a paying customer at the door and every second counted.

Slapping my sandwich down on the plate, I quickly chomped down on the first mouthful so that I would have an empty mouth by the time that I reached the door.

Reaching the door, I got quite the surprise to see two police officers in uniform standing by the door, holding their hats in their hands, rested against their abdomen. Although being a small town, I didn't recognize the older snow-haired officer that appeared to have the higher rank next to the younger and shorter brunette policewoman. Despite not knowing the man, I recognized the woman as the same police officer that had interrogated me during the investigation into Stu's death...The same interrogation that Sid and Indi had stormed unexpectedly into and even more unexpectedly pulled me out of.

"I'm Senior Sergeant Emerson and this Senior Constable Watson. Are you Todd Smith?" The snowy-hair coloured man began to question, proving my assumption that he was in charge.

"Correct" I replied, trying to answer as formally as I could to mirror the police officers, all the while beginning to worry about their visit. My automatic reaction to Police was always negative, cutting to worst case scenarios, which was made especially worrying given that their visit was regarding me.

"Am I correct in believing that you are you the son of Jill Carpenter?"

Oh no. Mum.

"Yes, that's me."

... I feel ashamed to acknowledge that my first thought was _'What has she done this time?_'

"We're sorry to inform you that your mother passed away late yesterday afternoon" Senior Sergeant Emerson told me formally, throwing me into a hazy shock by mid-sentence.

"Wh-What? How?" I croaked as I used all of strength and willpower to hold it together while I was standing on the other side of the doorstep.

"It appears that she had an accidental overdose. Her minor coroner reports showed a high blood alcohol level with a lethal dose of prescription medication. There is no reason to suggest that it was on purpose or suicide, but at this stage, it is just believed that she had heavy prescription flu medication while too much alcohol was in her system. We're very sorry Mr Smith."

After that moment, everything became a blur. As soon as the police left, I fled the house and left my salad sandwich that I had wasted time making early, without another thought. All I needed was air and open space.

Almost out of a subconscious instinct, I had made my way promptly down to the beach and the open water, without going past go and without collecting $200. I didn't even take my surfboard. For the first time in my life, I didn't even want to swim. All that I wanted and needed was to just sit down and breathe to help my numbed being...

_Sasha's POV_

I'd just come out of my kickboxing class and was walking along the top lawn area outside the Surf Club, contemplating buying myself a gelato while I waited for Dad to pick me up; something which I wasn't expecting to happen until his shift at the hospital ended after at least another half an hour.

Instead, I saw a figure sitting upright on the sand in foetal-position, with the guy wrapping his arms around his legs which his head rested on. A figure that I could identify -despite the long distance-, as being Romeo.

If things were normal and if I had completely forgotten about how awkward things had become for me the last time that I saw him, I wouldn't have hesitated in making my way down to the beach and chatting to him while I waited. However, I couldn't forget about what had happened and the way I felt. The only reason that I had concluded to go down and see him was for the fact that I had resolved to maintain my friendship and relationship prior to that day with Romeo the best that I could.

Within a minute, I was walking up behind the figure that obviously hadn't heard me coming, not moving a muscle from my noisy and sand scattering footsteps. Seizing the moment while Romeo was oblivious to me, I decided to try and scare him – something that I would have done when things were normal between us.

"Boo!" I said, simultaneously pushing both my palms against his back that was facing me.

He didn't move a muscle, still. This was getting beyond weird now.

"Romeo?" I asked as I made my way around him to sit down next to him, getting a bit worried at his unusual behaviour. I still didn't get a response. This made a lot more sense when I saw his blood-shot eyes and look of total shock as he maintained his focus on looking out to the water, remaining completely still.

I let out a short gasp, quickly collecting myself again from the shock of the scene as I sat on the sand beside him and placed my hand on the back of his shoulder as a comfort. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

My question remained unanswered by silence that lingered. Either I hadn't caught his attention enough to pull him out of his current daze, or he hadn't heard me. This was very un-Romeo like and it instantly worried me, especially as I puzzled over what could have prompted this unusual behaviour.

"Romeo? Romeo…" I said, still getting no answer, or any sort of response as he kept his focus of looking straight out ahead.

I grabbed his arm and held onto it, shaking it momentarily and seeking his attention, until our touch made me register how cold he was, well how cold his hand was anyway. How long had he been sitting here on his own?!

"You're an icicle!" I exclaimed aloud, which I might as well of said to myself for the lack of answer. I intensified my grip on his hand, squeezing it to share warmth, before rubbing the rest of my hand quickly against his arm in a feeble attempt to warm that from the friction too.

"I'm a terrible son," Romeo mumbled finally, not flinching at my attempts to warm him as he kept looking out to the water.

I shot him a puzzled look, a look that he was oblivious to. "A terrible son? What do you mean? What's happened."

"Mum died. Overdose" he was still looking ahead. The whisper of his voice screamed pain while his exterior was still and looked completely unaffected, like he was in shock.

"I should've done more to help her. I should've made sure she was getting help, going to rehab. I shouldn't have been so focused on my life here...Shouldn't have been so focused on Indi" he said, turning his head to look at me for the first time. That was followed by the first display of emotion. Romeo's face scrunched up and his breath choked up as he threw his arms over his face, beginning to lose control as his face was helplessly flooded. "I could've saved mum…"

I bit my lip, not entirely sure how to deal with his sudden display of emotion and grief that completely answered my questions regarding his strange behaviour.

"Hey… Oh, Romeo-" my attempts to begin consoling him were sent to a flying halt as his upset increased and his control. He fell apart, soft cries taking over and all I could do was comfort him, rubbing and patting his back soothingly after I realized that my hand had worked its way over to his back at some point.

My actions of comfort were responded to by an even more unexpected action that threw me momentarily. My arms that were opened out to him provided a form of track as his body slid down the trail of my arm that led to my body. He collapsed against my shoulder, sobbing and completely lacking all control over himself.

I couldn't remember if I had ever seen a grown man cry, but the sensation of Romeo, big strong Romeo falling apart like this, falling apart to me, broke my heart. All I could do was comfort him and offer flimsy words that would've done nothing to help the way that he was feeling.

* * *

I had stayed with Romeo for over an hour, dad was running late, and did the best I could to offer comforting words and relate to the similar pain that I had felt after learning that my mum had died in the car accident. Eventually, I had managed to help him collect himself enough to take him home, providing him with comforting warm drinks and blankets to take the edge off his chill that still resided, until Roo returned home and took over for me.

After getting home, dad quickly made his way to his room, meaning he likely had a nightshift and wanted to catch up with sleep, leaving me with Indi who had spent the majority of her day home, having a self-initiated study day.

"Hey" I said softly, walking into the living room where Indi's head was buried in a book at the dining table.

"Oh hey Sash" she replied, before returning her focus to the textbook that needed it more.

I made myself a hot drink, like I had for Romeo just half an hour earlier, before sitting down at the table with a long sigh of exhaustion that summed up my mentally and emotionally tiring day.

"Indi?" I said softly after a sip of the drink that had built up my courage and caught my sister's attention. "I don't know if he would've wanted me to say anything, but I thought I should let you know that Romeo's mum died yesterday. He found out today."

Her face softened and fell into a look of upset. "Oh god… Did you see him? How is he?"

"I saw him down on the beach" I said, confirming her question with a nod. "He wasn't handling it very well, as you'd expect."

I made the decision to not include details of our meeting, the comforting and our hugged-embrace after his break down in my arms. I deemed it unsuitable for who I was having the conversation with.

"I should call him… He'd be a wreck…" Indi replied, pulling her phone out of her pocket and began to search through her conacts for his number, before I spasmodically started shaking my head.

"No! No, that's probably not the best idea given everything that's going on between you too and the break up. Hearing from you might make it worse, I would leave it a few days if I were you…"

Indi nodded, sending me a small smile as she spoke next, a smile that increased in gratitude. "You're probably right… Thanks for being there for him Sash. We're not together anymore but I still care about him and don't want him being hurt like that. I think it's good that you guys have been able to maintain your friendship despite our break up."

Ha, yeah. Our friendship alright…

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that! Poor Romeo, his mum's death is going to put him in quite a bad place not just now, but later in the story. Poor guy! Anyway, I've been really getting into this story and have felt inspired to write it heaps recentl****y and despite school and all that, I've managed to write 3 chapters this week! Hopefully that'll mean more frequent updates now. **

**Next chapter - Returning to the Bay after the funeral, Romeo struggles with his grief. While trying to comfort him, Sasha makes a big mistake.**


	6. The Blame Game

**Chapter Six: The Blame Game**

_Romeo's POV_

I'd been back in the Bay for less than an hour after having returned home from mum's funeral, which had been held further down south to Batemans Bay. I had gone down to the coast a week ago, seizing the opportunity of the trip to spend some days with Mink before and after the funeral.

It was supposed to mark a time of acceptance, shared grief and moving on, but all I felt, if anything, was worse than when I'd been told my mother was never coming back by the police officers.

I couldn't help but blame myself, backtrack in time and consider if I'd helped her just that once more if all of this could've been avoided... If all of mum's drinking demons could've been conquered.

These were the thoughts that had utterly consumed me as I spent most of my time and energy draining myself of those questions and the guilt that came from my recent phase of depression – my way of dealing with, and shouldering the unavoidable guilt.

That was what I was thinking about now as I lay on my bed, wide awake and on my own in my bedroom at the Caravan Park, until my phone buzzed away in a tune from next to me. Momentarily, I contemplated not answering or even caring enough to pick up the phone and see who was bothering me, but for some reason I was drawn to talking to whomever it was. Most likely Mink.

Sasha.

I'd already answered the call by the time that I picked up on and registered the name. Once again, I considered hanging up the call before either of us spoke, but I knew Sasha well enough to know that she would start blaming herself, worrying about what was wrong or send out a search party if I continued not to answer my phone. She was a worrier, that one.

"Hello?" I asked, sounding groggier than what I had intended to.

"Romeo? Hey, I've been trying to reach you for days!" she replied, initially sounding surprised before her voice quickly bounced back as she started to fuss.

This wasn't too hard so far. All I was going to have to do was stick with the truth... I could do that. "Sorry, I've been out of service for a while, and then my phone died. I've only just charged it up."

"Oh don't worry about it. It's no big deal now. I was just wanting to check that you were okay and ask how the um, how the funeral went... I'm so sorry, Romeo."

"Can I not talk about that, Sash? Sorry."

She took a moment to reply, speaking in an even softer voice than what she had been before. "I know, sorry. I more than anyone should know. That's how I felt with my mum and her funeral. Talking about it was the last thing I wanted to do. I probably would have welcomed every distraction in the world."

"Yeah, that's about it..."

Again, a slightly longer silence was left after my reply, until her voice squeaked with evident excitement. I could tell that was her change in mood when she thought of something or had an idea form, but I just hated to imagine what that was.

"Hey, what are you doing today later? Got plans? I can distract you if you want."

No and no.

No plans, but no, I didn't especially want to be distracted. In all honesty, I just really wanted to sit here in my own misery, feeling sorry for myself, while blaming myself all at the same time. I just couldn't explain how I felt, well not in a sane manner anyway. Additionally, I knew that Sasha was only suggesting that to be nice, thinking it was what I needed. The girl was only trying to help me.

"Alright" I sighed, under my breath. "When and where?"

* * *

_Sasha's POV_

I'd arranged to meet with Romeo at the Bluff. Romeo hadn't been fussed, nor did I think that he overly cared _where_ we were going, but I knew that there was a nice secluded walking track that overlooked the Bay and surrounding islands. Growing up, I'd always been told how great fresh air was for you and your mood so I thought that the air, the view and solitude might be just what the doctor ordered for him.

I arrived there first, only having to wait for ten minutes at the most before my company arrived.

While he was away, I had tried to kid myself into believing that I hadn't thought of him in the _way_ that I had just before he left for the funeral. However, the ashamed part of me knew that there had been a few moments when I struggled to think of anything _other_ than him. I just wished that I could turn that off.

Our relationship had been perfectly fine before that day!

"Hey" I smiled, giving him a small awkward wave as I noticed Romeo plodding up the path towards me. Normally, I would never have hesitated hugging him as a hello greeting, but since I'd started thinking of him like that, I couldn't tempt myself with that intimacy of a friendly hug.

"Hi Sash" he replied, looking up from the ground that he was looking down towards previously, giving me a small smile that barely even met the mark.

"Oh come on! What do you call that, Romeo?! A face spasm or something?!"

I had made my comment as a light-hearted joke, but even though his mouth fought the urge to smile at my question, I noticed that his eyes had brightened from it.

"Did you invite me up here _just_ to mock me?" he replied, equally as light-heartedly as my initial comment. "What are you plans for me anyway, Sasha? Hot tip – I'm not really much good company right now."

"That's exactly why you and I are here... To turn that frown upside down!"

For a moment, there was no sign of the dull Romeo that had talked to me on the phone earlier, nor the sad Romeo who was looking down at his feet before I caught his attention. And I couldn't of been happier with my result on his mood.

* * *

Honestly, it had been a lovely afternoon and while the outing had initially been kept light-hearted and fun, by the time that we walked up to the seat that overlooked the best view of the Bay, we were winding our conversations into more honest sentences with deeper revelations.

It was after we had been sitting and talking there for close to half an hour when Romeo finally started to truly open up about how badly his mum's death had impacted him and how greatly he blamed himself. I felt terrible. I knew he had naturally been pretty messed up from it, but I didn't know how much he was shouldering it.

I knew how he felt, I'd blamed myself, becoming emotional when alone but putting up the fiercest front when I was in public after my own mum died. The day of her car accident, she'd just taken Felix and I to school before the crash happened. I too had blamed myself, but I knew that really, there was nothing that anyone could have done to avoid it. It was just a terrible accident and a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time...

Once he'd started talking, his total honesty felt as if it didn't even have a filter of sorts. It was like Romeo had reached the point of bubbling over and there was no stopping what was coming out. If I'm being honest, I don't even think that _I_ was even the reason he was talking and letting all of his thoughts out. I think that he'd just reached that point of losing control and he would have confided in anyone, be it myself, be it Jett or be it any of the Braxton's that said two words to him if they saw each other.

I think it was a case of me being in the right place at the right time to support him and be there for him, once again.

_What_ he was confiding in me, however, was the most shocking part of the scenario. I hadn't thought much of his self-blame when he broke down to me on the beach, but today, I couldn't believe how deeply the blame was cutting him.

"I don't know what to do, Sash. I don't know what the point to my life is anymore. I've just got nothing left, nothing left to live for. Thinking about giving up feels like it's an easier option."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That's _how_ low he was feeling? The Romeo I knew was way too positive to ever let a thought like that even bounce into his mind, let alone linger there.

"That's never the best option" I replied confidently, but softly, trying to show my empathy towards him, but attempting to make sure he knew I thought there was no doubt or hesitation about it.

"I _know_, how hard it is. I know the blame. But I also know that friends can help you big time" I added, gently grabbing the tip of his hands and clasping onto his fingers with a slight squeeze. "I barely knew you when I came to the Bay. You were just my big sister's husband who I accidentally thought was pretty hot before I put two and two together! But right from when I first met you, when you first helped me even just with job hunting, you made me feel like you were supporting me. I knew I had a friend in you, and having people like you was what made life with grieving and settling into the Bay easier."

For the first time today, he looked up with me a genuine smile, a smile which I returned as a display on my lips too…

Then, in the one vulnerable moment after we'd been talking openly and honestly, liked we'd never trusted anyone as we had trusted each other, I let my guard down. I took a regretful leap of faith and made a move that I now know I wouldn't be able to take back.

My head slowly leaned in towards Romeo's and for that one-second, our lips were connected before I separated them at an even faster pace from the remorse of my actions. The brief kiss was only that of a touch, not a lock, and it hadn't even been a spectacular kiss purely due to the length that was basically blink and you'd miss it.

There was only one significant factor of the kiss, a factor that left me even more confused and unsettled than before… He hadn't even tried to pull away or stop the kiss. I accused his delay as being in shock, not as being a consent of sorts for my action.

"I-I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I've got to go" I said quickly after we had both sat there looking at each other in equal shock, before I got up and started to rush off.

"Sash… Wait..."

I didn't even bother to reply to him as I ran almost the entire way back to the Bay, blaming myself for making the regretful move. Even though I could physically run from him, I knew there was no way I could run away and avoid him forever now.

Not unless I run away to Europe. Because, yeah, that was a totally feasible option for me…

* * *

**So, Sasha's kiss might seem a bit odd or unusual with the timing of while she was helping Romeo, but I was just trying to think like Sasha would and go off her past actions. I.e, she ****kissed Xavier first time while she was getting weighed down with the investigation into Stu's death and she'd been in a similar vulnerable state when she succumbed to Casey in the bush. Blame emotions! Also, Romeo might have seemed a bit oblivious to Sasha's feelings before the kiss, but again I was trying to keep him in character. Most times, he's taken a while switch onto girl's romantic feelings, like when he and Indi got together the first time as well as Ruby's feelings for him both times. He's a romantic, but he's a naive one! More often that not he needs it spelt out for him and a kiss would be a bit of an eye-opener for him! So, that's my reasoning and why I thought Sasha would fall for him and initiate things first!**

**Also, I really hope that I'm not making Romeo sound too weak in the last few chapters with the way that he just confides and breaks down to Sasha. I've always thought that he's not the sort to put up castle walls for the sake of acting like a macho man and in most of his big storylines, Romeo does willingly confide in someone else when he's upset, just like with Sid and Liam during this cancer storyline. What's everyone's thoughts on that anyway? I think it's being very rushed, but Luke & Rob are doing a fantastic job with it together. Too good of a job actually! And I'm not really looking forward to his 'replacement' with Johnny Ruffo's character. I'll give him a fair shot with the acting, but although he's got catchy songs, he's not my cup of tea. I mean, his lyrics like..._ "I'm on top of the world, when I'm on top of you, girl"_ - very classy. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Next chapter: A humiliated Sasha avoids Romeo, blaming herself for feeling jealous when Indi begins to draw closer to Romeo again. Also, since the kiss, Romeo becomes more aware of Sasha and considers his feelings for her. **


	7. Passing Ships

**Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. I was hoping to get this one up sooner, as always, but I've just been flooded with school work, sickness, social life, work and other stuff all in one hit and haven't had time to. Anyway, considering that two weeks of school holidays officially started this afternoon I felt that I could indulge a little time into posting this...**

**Enjoy the chapter, peeps, and let me know what you thought!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Passing Ships**

It had been three days.

Three days, twenty-two hours and four minutes since I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life, by letting my guard down and giving in to what felt like the irresistible temptation of kissing Romeo. I kissed my sister's _husband_. Although they weren't together, I still could not bypass that factor…

My guilt was expanded on when Indi herself entered the room, distractedly clipping a necklace around her neck while balancing her handbag that was starting to slip down her busy arm. I'd been having difficulty looking Indi in the face for the last few days, finding it easier to confine myself to my room and avoid the reminder of the mistake I had made of betraying my oblivious sister.

"Hey. I'm going into town want anything?"

I was running short on phone credit and a few other supplies that I'd been meaning to replenish. The car trip would be uncomfortable for me but I figured that it would be easier to go in with Indi and get them myself rather than having to bother about paying her later. "Yeah I do. Are you going now? I might come."

"Yeah, no problem. I'm just going to pop in and say hi to Romeo, check he's okay first, though. I haven't had a chance to see him and offer my condolences since he got back."

My face squeezed into a sour expression out of reflex due to the mention of his name, not to mention the reminder of feeling guilty about _who_ had said it... Something that Indi must have noticed.

"What's wrong, Sash?"

I had to think quickly on my feet. "Oh damn, I just remembered Lottie was going to come over soon to work on our novel comparison for English. Call me when you're in town and I'll tell you what I need and fix you up with the money later."

"Alright. Dad or Dex will probably get home before me, Sash. I'm going to head out now... Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Indi exclaimed with a bright wave to me, giving the room a quick check over that she hadn't forgotten anything before leaving with an accidental slam.

Great, she was gone. I love my sister, that hasn't changed at all, but since I've kissed Romeo I have found it supremely challenging to stay in the same room with her for long while I'm struggling with my own guilt.

The only aspect of Indi that I was able to deal with and could manage being in company with was her ice cream which I'd stolen a few scoops of over the last few days. Oh well, I'll just tell her to buy more in town and confess _that_ sin of mine to her at least…

* * *

_Romeo's POV_

The last few days, I'd been busy. Physically, and mentally this time too.

It turns out that Sasha was right about what she told me, about friends being such a valuable source of help. Later that same day, Alf had more or less dragged me out of the house. Initially, I was more than annoyed with the older man, Sasha had just kissed me, I was trying to think through that when Alf tried to provide his own distraction.

We went out to the Blaxland and at first it felt like slave labour that Alf had voluntarily assigned me to do, but after a while, what Alf had warned me about the positive effect that more physical work and less thinking would do for me began to come true. Mediocre tasks like scrubbing the deck became exhilarating and doable – feelings that I hadn't deemed possible for me to feel again prior to the deep and meaningful, and kiss, a few days ago while I had been in my extensive depressive state.

Not only had I been helping Alf out with tasks like that on the boat and around the Pier, but it had also given me some time to mull over and think about the events of that first afternoon with a clearer head. Initially, I'd thought of it as being a typical teenage slip up. Feeling things and doing things that you later punish and judge yourself for, more than anyone else does. However, the more I thought about it, her support and her words of how valuable the people that help you with problems and that are there for you are, the more I started to realize that Sasha wasn't just a support for me…

She isn't another Alf, helping me out and knowing exactly what I needed when I need it; she isn't another Marilyn who was ever delicate in offering her support at every opportunity; she isn't another Lottie who would make me laugh and brighten my day with some of her far out and quirky comments; she isn't another Dex who my friendship with had remained virtually unscathed since Indi and I's break up; and she isn't another Indi who had made me feel such deep feelings, falling so hard and so fast in the past.

… No. Instead, Sasha Bezmel is all of them. She knew exactly what I needed, she was always there or ready to be there for me, she made me laugh and could make any situation brighter, she was an amazing friend and she made me feel like our relationship was something amazing and something worthwhile. Sasha and our interactions had proven that to me, time and time again, and I had been completely oblivious and blinded to how amazing that one girl was.

And it was her kiss had shown me all of that in one powerfully life changing hit.

* * *

"Knock, knock" a familiar voice called out as a similar action was initiated against the wood of the door-frame outside.

I was waiting for Alf, sitting one the couch channel surfing to kill time as I waited, before I got up to answer the door.

"Indi? Hi… What are you doing here?"

The first thing I noticed was the unfamiliarity of her appearance. Her dress was another new and intricate, not to mention expensive dress that was complemented by a few new pieces of jewellery that I had never seen before in my life. Logan had evidently treated Indi to yet another shopping spree and Indi was obviously living the life and the look that she had always desired. The life that I could never have given her.

She pulled an envelope out from behind her back and held it out in the air between us as she walked inside to the Caravan Park House. "Sash told me about your mum. I'm so sorry Romeo… I just wanted to drop off a card for you."

"Thanks, but there was nothing you could do, Indi. Do you want a drink? How is Sasha anyway?"

"No thank you, I won't stay for long. Sasha? She's good as far as I know – all of us are pretty good."

I nodded back at her, changing my focus from the floor up to Indi's familiar blue eyes. "That's good to hear. Tell her to pop in and say hi if she's ever nearby. Haven't seen her in a few days, but she's been a really good friend to me – helped out a lot."

"Aw, I'm glad to hear it" Indi replied as her face lit up with a smile. "I know _we're_ not together anymore, but it still means a lot to me knowing that you're well and happy. She was actually going to come over too, but then she remembered that Lottie was coming over to do some homework together. I'm just glad Sasha's been able to help you."

"Me too. I wasn't in the best place for a few days there, so I don't know what I would've done without her."

Indi and I shared a brief, pleasant smile for a moment before I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Sharing a house with so many busy people that were constantly coming in and out meant that the noise wasn't an unusual sound to hear at all. However Indi was sparked with a significance that I didn't share, as she pointed behind me to Lottie who was just coming downstairs.

"Oh Lottie! What time were you meeting up with Sash? Do you want me to give you a lift back to the Farm?"

I noticed the momentary lack of recognition on my housemates face. "That's right… Sasha and I were meeting up, weren't we? I think there was a movie she wanted to see together."

"Movie? Sasha said you were going to have a homework afternoon."

Unusual. I couldn't determine who was in the wrong – Sasha, Indi or Lottie, but by the panic that flitted on Lottie's face for a split second, I was pretty certain that _she_ at least was bluffing.

"Yeah – we were going to have a sleepover. Homework on one day, movie on the other. Just depends on the movie sessions, they must be better tomorrow."

Indi gave her a nod and I just listened in to and watched the conversation between the two. Lottie's excuse either sounded legitimate or proved that she was a damn good liar. "Okay. So do you want a ride back or not?"

"Nah, I'll get Dad to drop me off a little bit later."

"Alright" Indi replied with another nod before she turned slightly more towards facing me. "I should get going. But again, I'm really sorry for your loss. Let me know if I can do anything for you."

She left the sealed card on the table and walked out without another word. From then on, it wasn't Indi who interested me.

I looked behind my back and Lottie was making her way back upstairs quietly until I called her name to capture her attention.

"Lottie? What's going on with Sasha? You weren't meeting up with her, were you? Is she avoiding me? Is that why she didn't come over?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Romeo…" she replied with a shrug, turning around to keep walking upstairs.

I followed her up a few steps to the staircase that led to both of our bedrooms, along with those of the other member's of the household. "Come on! Don't give me that. You're her best friend. Surely she's talked to you about it. I need to know what she's thinking."

"She's talked to me about what?!"

"The kiss!"

And by the look on Lottie's face, I could instantaneously tell that she obviously _hadn't_.

* * *

_Sasha's POV_

I had merged to my bedroom shortly after the noisy boys had returned home. That's where I still was currently, lying down and listening to what felt like an endless number of songs on my iPhone. It felt like for a few moments that I was lying there alone in my own world, in a peaceful world where I had abandoned my guilt and my problems which was a welcome feeling of distraction, until the knock at the door, which proceeded to be opened.

"Sasha?" my only sister's familiar voice called out as she crept into my bedroom. "Can we talk?"

"Mmm-hmm" I acknowledged and Indi moved over to my bed, sitting down next to me as I sat upright, extracting the ear buds from my ears.

"I know the last few months have been hard, and I apologize for causing that. I know Romeo was like a big brother to you and it must be strange now, but I want to thank you for helping him out so much recently while I couldn't. Today, he was raving about how much he appreciated you being there for him, so thank you. Both of us appreciate you doing that for him."

And as my sister wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug, I knew that whatever I had felt for Romeo, whatever had motivated our regretful kiss was nothing compared to the bond and relationship with my sister.

It was not worth sacrificing that over a guy. Much less a guy that I knew could not and would not ever be mine.

* * *

**So what did you think of the chapter? And Mr Smith's exit?! Sob! I am really torn with Romeo's departure because I could see what they were doing with trying to do with his departure and try to make it a little unusual and open-ended (cause unless you witness a character's last breathes, they're never definitely dead in Summer Bay!) so it does leave it open for a miracle recovery or what not. What my big problem with it was that it didn't make sense in the way that if he was refusing treatment, didn't want to hurt her, etc, would he have not wanted to stay to spend as much time as possible with Indi?! Oh well. Regardless of the departure, I'll miss Romeo and Luke, big time. At least Sasha will help mend the gap, but I'm also a bit peeved off that Romeo didn't have any non-goodbye goodbye scenes with Dex or Sasha seeing as how close he is to them both.**

**Oh well, regardless of Romeo, the story must go on! And in the next chapter: Romeo's feelings for Sasha grow and this time it's his turn to make the first move on her. Sasha finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place. What will she do?**


End file.
